


How To Not Fall In Love With Your Best Friend

by StupidComputer



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, From Childhood to Adulthood, M/M, just a bunch of drabbles mostly, so here's them slowly falling in love, the world needs more toby/jim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-31 02:26:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10889745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidComputer/pseuds/StupidComputer
Summary: Growing up can be tough; puberty, grades, bad breath, and mandatory gym class can really bring a kid down. Add being the Trollhunter and the Trollhunter's best friend on top of that and life can get pretty hectic. But Jim and Toby are ready for anything. There's no problem in the world that they can't solve together. That is unless the problem is each other. Or more accurately how they feel about each other. They are totally not falling for each other, absolutely not.





	1. Meeting

Jim remembers the first time he saw Toby. So many memories from his childhood were muddled and foggy, but not this one. It was late March on a Friday and he was outside kicking around a soccer ball when the door to his neighbor’s house swung open and a short, very upset boy came running out. Even from the other side of the street Jim could hear the wails and hiccups of the other kid. He had seen him once or twice before; about a week ago a small truck pulled up and dropped him off at the house. Since that the boy had been scarce to see, but now he was out in the open and bawling his eyes out. 

Part of Jim wanted to pick up his ball and walk quietly back inside; whatever the strange boy was going through was none of his business. However, his mother taught him to help others who were in need and his six-year-old curiosity was also piqued. So, he picked up his soccer ball and crossed the street, after looking both ways like he was taught. Soon he was standing right in front of the boy and could make out the details of his face.  
The boy had a missing lower tooth and a row of crooked teeth that seemed to be even more exaggerated by his sobbing. He was short and pudgy and his cheeks were flushed. But what got Jim’s attention the most was his bright green eyes, which were now looking up at him in an angry glare.

“W-what do you w-want.” Came the boy’s wobbly voice. 

It was obvious that he was trying to sound mean and threatening but his words could barely break through his sobs. Jim felt his heart speed up just a bit and words felt like cotton on his tongue for a reason that he didn’t understand. It was something about those eyes, those bright green eyes, that prevented him from speaking. So instead the strange boy spoke again.

“I-if your just gon-gonna stare and make f-fun of me then go a-away!” 

The boy moved to stand up and broke his gaze with Jim, suddenly allowing him to speak again.

“No, no, I justht…you stheemed sthad. And I wanted to help. I’m Jim. Jim Lake Junior” 

He stuck out his hand, hoping that the other would take it. The boy looked at him, then at his hand, and then at him again before finally deciding to extend his own.

“Toby.”

As their hands met for a handshake Jim could feel his heart racing again for reasons that he couldn’t comprehend. Maybe he was sick? He didn’t know but he did know that Toby’s hands were warm and soft and that he didn’t want to let go. Of course, he had to and with a bit of sadness he let his arm fall to his side.

“Stho Toby, wanna come play sthoccer with me? I can fix sthome sthnacks too if you want.” 

Toby looked up at him as if he were surprised by the invitation. He dried his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt and nodded his head silently. 

That day Jim did most of the talking, which he would soon find was going to be a rare instance between the two.


	2. Birthdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias just wants to be a good friend. And good friends celebrate birthdays together

Tobias Domzalski had only one friend and although many would consider this to be a very small number, for him it was more than enough. He was fine with having one friend because that friend was Jim Lake Jr. Toby thought that Jim just might be the most perfect boy in the entire world; dark blue eyes, hair as black as night, a laugh that could never be callous or cruel, and best of all he was an excellent chef. From day one Toby knew that they were going to be best friends.

The only tricky part about being Jim’s friend was navigating around the elephant in the room, or more accurately the elephant that was no longer in the room. Shortly after Toby had arrived to live with his Nana, Jim had a birthday. But instead of cake and toys he got a disappearing dad and disappointment. For the next few years, Jim ignored his birthday. He wouldn’t invite classmates to a party or bake a cake, he deleted any birthday coupons he got from stores, and he never _ever_ talked about his dad on this day.  

The only thing that would happen on Jim’s birthday was that he would invite Toby over to the house and they’d eat take out Chinese food. But after five years of this practice Toby had enough. It was his best friend’s tenth birthday and he was going to get him something whether he liked it or not. So, he saved up all the money he could for a birthday present and hid it whenever Jim came over until the night of celebration.

On the night of the officially unofficial birthday celebration, Jim called Toby over the walkie talkie.

_“Hey Tobes, what are you doing tonight?”_ Came Jim’s voice from the worn out plastic box.

Toby, knowing the drill, started packing up his stuff so he could head on over.

_“Because I was thinking,”_ Jim’s voice broke through again as Toby grabbed the walkie and headed down the stairs.

_“If you aren’t doing anything,”_ Toby ran out of the house.

_“Then maybe we could,”_ Twenty steps until Jim’s house.

_“Watch a movie?”_ Ten steps until Jim’s house.

_“And she left me some food money so we could maybe,”_ Toby was opening the door to the Lake’s house.

_“Get some Chinese food? If you want, you don’t have to if you don-ACK! Toby what the hell?!”_

Jim’s walkie fell to the floor as Toby entered the room and flopped down on the bed with all his might. Jim, who was both shorter and smaller, shot up a good two feet in the air and then collided with his mattress in a fit of giggles. He punched Toby lightly in the arm, grin on his face.

“Come on, you know I hate it when you do that!” Which were words that even Jim knew were false.

Toby, in turn, rolled his eyes and reached over to drape his arm around his best friend.

“Well excuse me for trying to surprise our little birthday boy here.” It was a risky statement, Toby knew, but it was better to get it all out early on.

Beside him Jim went stiff. The room was swallowed by a silence that made Toby’s skin crawl, but he couldn’t bring himself to break it. This was a silence only Jim could break. The world stood still. It was as if every atom in existence was waiting to know what the next words out of Jim Lake Jr’s mouth would be.

“Thanks…thanks Tobes. Let’s just…let’s just not talk about it anymore ok?” Jim stood up and let Toby’s arm fall to his side.

“Aw, come one dude, I got you a present and everyth- ”

“I don’t want it.”

“But it’s the original Gun Robot action figu- ”

“I said that I don’t want it Tobias. Stop.” Jim’s voice was quiet and demanding, which made Toby’s skin crawl.

But he wasn’t giving up. He couldn’t just sit there and let Jim never have a good birthday again. So, foolishly, he pressed on.

“You can talk to me about it Jimbo, it can just be something between us dudes- ”

“Shut up Tobias! I don’t need to talk about! He’s been gone five years and guess what? I. Don’t. Care. I don’t give a…a... I don’t give a shit!”

“If you don’t care why- ”

Before Toby could finish his thought, Jim interrupted him, but not in the way Toby had been expecting. Instead of words, Jim ended the sentence with a quick swipe at Toby’s face. He felt a small fist contact the side of his face, right below his eyes. Toby looked up from the punch and was met with a face flooded by tears. Jim’s eyes swirled with a rainbow of emotions; fear, anger, regret, and most of all, sadness.

“Y-you don’t know…what it’s like. Y-you’ll ne-never know!” After that Jim collapsed onto the floor.

His sobs weren’t like Toby’s. They were quiet and soft and emitted a sound of pure sorrow. Toby sat on the bed and watched him for a moment. He was torn between storming out because he was punched or sliding down onto the floor where his best friend was curled up in pain.

The latter won out.

Toby moved from the bed to the ground with one quick plop. As soon as he did so Jim didn’t hesitate from wrapping his arms around him and burying his wet face into the other’s large soft stomach. That was one thing Toby knew he was good for; he was the perfect crying pillow. Jim acted as if he hadn’t just punched him moments ago and was now clinging on him for dear life. Not knowing what else to do, Toby ran his hands through Jim’s hair and spoke.

“My parents died when I was four. The police never found their bodies. I know what it’s like Jimbo, that’s why I want to help.”

Jim reacted to the new piece of information by holding on tighter. They stayed that way for twenty minutes. Then Jim lifted his head.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I punched you.”

“Sorry I brought up the whole birthday thing. Are we, you know, cool?”

Toby held out a fist and Jim bumped it with his.

“We’re cool. Come on, let’s order some food.”

And to show that they really were cool, Jim kissed the small bruise forming on Toby’s face. The action hurt, but Toby didn’t tell him that. Instead he had a strange longing for his friend to do it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more of this kid fluff. Next chapter is probably gonna take place in their teens. Hope y'all enjoy this little drabble


	3. Diets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toby wants to go on a diet. Jim decides to help him, despite thinking that there's nothing Toby needs to change. It turns out to be both successful and unsuccessful in different ways.

Toby Domzalski was fat if one was going for the flat, tactless truth. There really was no sugar coating it. Some might’ve called him chunky, hefty, or chubby but at the end of the day there was not skirting around the fact that he was overweight. It was something that he, despite constant bravado, was very much self-conscious about. Classmates picked on him, strangers glared at him when he ate, and even teachers would make off-handed comments about his diet.

These things made Jim furious beyond belief. There was a silent rage that burned in him when his best friend was bullied; it burned brighter when they were in gym class and the couch specifically targeted Toby. Around school he had earned a nickname for himself: Tub. The cruel name had been spray painted onto his locker, passed to him in notes, and was a constant torment for the poor boy. Jim hated the dejected look on Toby’s face when someone would whisper the name behind his back. He hated that there was nothing he could do to make them stop. But there always was one thing he could do to make him feel better and that was cooking.

At fourteen Jim was practically a prodigy in the kitchen. Any type of food that existed he could whip up with just a quick glance at the recipe. It was the one thing he was confident in, the one thing he knew he could do. So, he used it to make Toby feel better. After particularly rough days at school (which was almost all of them) he would invite Toby over and make his favorite meals. Five cheese casseroles, spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf with tomato sauce, and always something spectacular for dessert. It warmed him to his core to see his friend’s smile return to his face. Of course, it was a temporary fix at best. The constant meals took a toll on Toby’s already generous form which only led to more bullying. It was a vicious cycle that Jim was innocently oblivious to until one day nearing the end of their freshmen year.

It was a Saturday which meant stacks upon stacks of pancakes were being placed on the dining room table of the Lake house. Jim always made them for his mom before she went to work and her absence would soon be followed by Toby’s presence. Jim was getting out a new stick of butter from the fridge when he heard the door open. He rushed out of the kitchen to great his friend, forgetting the butter.

“Tobes! Just in time for breakfast. Come ‘ere, I want you to try these! I used a different recipe this time and added in a bit of vanilla flavoring, you _have to_ try them. Not to get a big head but these are to die for.”

He walked back over to the table where two plates of pancakes, one half eaten, were waiting. Only Toby didn’t move with him. Instead he stood in the doorway, sipping on a green drink that Jim had failed to notice a second before.

“Not today Jimbo,” Toby said in-between gulps, “I’m on a diet. Some kind of juice cleanse thing I found on the internet. Supposed to help you lose weight, like, super fast.”  

“Why?”

The question fell from Jim’s mouth without him processing it. The why was obvious; Toby was fat and wanted to stop being that. But something in Jim’s brain in that moment didn’t click together because to him Toby was perfect. There was nothing to change, nothing that could possibly improve Toby Domzalski. He was soft and warm and the perfect size for Jim to wrap his gangly arms around during a hug. It made his heart pump a little faster just looking at him (a feeling that he often pushed down and blamed on teenage mood swings.) So any reasoning Toby would’ve had for going on a diet flew right over Jim’s head.

“Dude, I wanna get totally ripped before sophomore year, that’s why. Or at least, ya’ know, drop some of the baby fat.”

Toby adverted his eyes from Jim as he finished the sentence. Both knew that what Toby had wasn’t baby fat, it was a fact that hung uneasily in the air.

Jim took a long look at his friend. Short limbs, round face and belly, bright orange hair, braces, and acne covering his cheeks. Toby wanted to go on a diet, wanted to change himself, but as Jim looked at him all he could see was awkward perfection. How many times had he curled up to Toby’s side at sleepovers? Resting the back of his head comfortably on his stomach, guiltily thinking about turning over, wrapping his arms around him, maybe getting his fingers caught up in that fire red hair. He had to stop. He absolutely had to stop thinking those thoughts about his best friend and he especially had to stop staring at him and say something.

“Uh, yeah ok. Maybe not the juice cleanse though. As a chef, it doesn’t really give me a lot to work with Tobes. How about I make a new batch of pancakes with almond milk instead? Oh, and I think we have some of that can’t-believe-it’s-not-butter stuff around here somewhere. Skim milk, whole grain flour, egg substitute, Splenda…”

He started to trail off as he pieced together a new recipe in his mind, not just for pancakes, but for all of Toby’s favorite foods. Maybe just a three-cheese casserole, low fat meatloaf, and he could handle tofu meatballs, right?

The rest of the day was spent trying new dishes out. They had to make a stop at the grocery store for some of the stuff; Brilliant Chef James Lake Junior never expected to have to make something out of tofu. The pancakes came out alright, a little dry. Three-cheese casserole didn’t taste nearly as good as five cheese, low fat meatloaf was basically a pile of meat dirt, and somehow he managed to make the tofu explode while cooking it.

By the end of the day, after many taste tests and re-tries, both boys were nearly passed out on the living room couch clutching their stomachs.

“Hate to break it to you Jimbo, but your trial and error diet cooking? Is the opposite of a diet.”

Jim started to laugh which triggered an onslaught of hiccups.

“I’m serious, this diet is ruining my diet.”

Toby tried to sound aggravated but his faux anger was broken by his own laughter.

“Yeah, sorry about that Tobes. But I guess now we know what works and what doesn’t. Hell, maybe I won’t even blow up the tofu next time.” Jim said through his hiccups.

As night came around they both stayed on the couch, watching tv and adding their own commentary for particularly bad movies. Toby drifted off to sleep first, which gave Jim the opportunity to curl up by his side. As his eyelids got heavy he gave one more upward glance at his best friend, and went to sleep thinking about how he wouldn’t change a single thing about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three. Jimmy starts to realize that he might have a bit of a crush and tofu, like always, ruins everything. Sorry this chapter was late and i hope y'all enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to spread some Jim/Toby love since there doesn't seem to be enough of it. This is mostly just gonna be a collection of drabbles with a very loose end game plot so feel free to send in requests and let me know what you think.


End file.
